For

Great sound, radio functions, lots of connections

Against

Design a bit limited, screen viewing angle

The problem with small TVs is the sound, they just sound, well, small. Humax think they have the answer with the LGB-19DZT, a 19-inch LCD with SRS TRuSurround XT speakers attached to the bottom. We get watching – and listening – to give you the low down.

From a design point of view, this little TV is something of an ugly duckling: a conventional 19in (1440 x 900 pixels) LCD panel sitting on a bulbous speaker bar. The size of speakers is something of a necessity to deliver the SRS TruSurround XT sound, which is something you don’t normally find in smaller screens.

Sticking with the speakers, you’ll find a display in the centre of them and things suddenly become apparent: this is actually a clever little bundle.

Everyone knows that digital TV carries a number of radio stations, but not many people do anything about it. Humax has decided to make this an all-in-one TV, bringing those radio functions to the fore. The integrated Freeview digital tuner will supply a wealth of radio channels and there is an option to have the LCD panel turn off, so effectively, you’re just listening to the radio.

This is where the additional speaker display comes into its own, as this will display the radio station information and volume and you can continue to change the radio stations without going back into the TV. That bulbous speaker bar then delivers a good rounded sound from its 2 x 8W drivers satisfying your radio needs.

So this is ideally suited to anyone who lacks space, either in a bedroom, study or student accommodation, as the radio and TV functions are bundled in together. The TV is also well connected, featuring Scart, Component, VGA, HDMI around the back, and additional S-Video and AV connections on the side. So you could potentially use this as your monitor too.

As a TV it works well, the matt finish to the screen reduces reflections, but obviously isn’t as sharp for viewing movies. Out of the box the settings are a little vivid on the colour front, but the preset screen settings can calm this down or you can manually change things to your liking. Of course there is also the standard Freeview EPG which is easy to use.

There is a small downside, however. We found that the viewing angle on the screen was slightly unforgiving with a preference from top-down viewing. If your eyeline dips below the TV you start to experience problems, which does raise the question of how useful the VESA mount would be.

The supplied remote control will cover all the functions for both TV and radio and there are basic controls across the top of the TV. You’ll also find it has a range of sleep and alarm options, and the speaker display can turn into a clock when the screen is turned off – what more could you want?

Verdict

With enough connectivity do hook-up your PC, Xbox, DVD player, and PS3, whilst acting as both your TV and a decent radio and alarm, this could be the all-in-one device you’ve been looking for.

Yes, the design is perhaps not up with the leading lights in the TV world, but this is a feature-packed little TV, and for that, you have to love it.